Dayton Shooter Supported Socialism, Antifa, Sanders, Warren

On Sunday, police identified 24-year-old Connor Betts as the perpetrator of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.

The shooting came less than 24 hours after Patrick Crusius, 21, murdered 22 individuals at a shopping area in El Paso, Texas.

Just hours before the Dayton shooting, Betts’ Twitter handle, “@iamthespookster” ‘liked’ El Paso-massacre-related tweets, such as reports of bystanders being left for dead.

A further dive into Betts’ social media accounts depicted a motive stemming from liberal politics and Democratic ideals.

Left-leaning outlets said there was no clear motive for Betts, even though reports from Wall Street Journal and Heavy.com showed Betts’ described himself as a socialist supporter and did not support then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016.

On Monday, Trump held a press conference in which he highlighted the mental illness crisis, use of violent video games, and again, condemned “racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.” Within these articles, CNN lambasted Trump, stating that “he didn’t take any of the blame onto himself or pledge to change his rhetoric.”

Media Reaction to Sandy Hook Shooting Under Obama Administration

Hindsight is 20/20 after the devastating shooting in Newton, Conn., at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 26 innocent lives were claimed in 2012. CNN at the time reported on President Barack Obama’s press conference with a piece headlined, “Wiping away tears, Obama mourns children killed in school shooting.”

CNN did not attack Obama’s character, suggest that he should put some of the blame on himself or turn the tragedy political.

In contrast, during the same time of tragedy in 2012, right-wing Fox News broadcast headlines like, “As nation mourns, investigators try to figure out what led to tragedy in Newtown, Conn.”

Marissa Martinez is a political contributor for Accuracy in Media and The Hill. She is the former Political Director to Massachusetts Governor’s re-election campaign, alumna of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and current national PAC consultant. @MarissaAlisa